On Wednesday, May 6, there were 13 players at the Katoomba Table Tennis Club. The two youngest players were undefeated in the three preliminary rounds of the evening's competition: the feisty Harry Patfield and the formidable Ira Dudley-Bestow. The quality of these young players bodes well for the future of table tennis in Katoomba. David Valaisa was also playing dynamic table tennis. He had a nail-biting 21-23 loss to Ira in the first round, and went on to two sound wins, to be the third semi-finalist. Rene Buhler made up the four. He had two 21-16 wins either side of an 18-21 loss to Harry in the second round.
Both of the semi-finals were rematches. In the first, Harry found some amazing reserves to give Rene an absolute thrashing: 21-0 (Rene scored 17 points in that game). The second semi was another very close game between Ira and David. Again Ira won, 21-19. Harry might have exhausted himself in his slaughtering of Rene, because he could not give Ira the resistance which was required. Ira won his second competition of the year, 21-14.
Rene bounced back from his Harry-humiliation to play a blinder against David, coming third, 23-21.
New handicaps: Ira: minus 64; Harry: minus 52; Rene: minus 68; David: minus 39.
The club plays every Monday and Wednesday evening, 7-10, at the St Hilda Church Hall, Katoomba Street. All players, 16 and over, are very welcome.
